Chariot held a tense standoff against another party, this one full of monarchs with a single greater lord who seemed to be the leader, possessing the legendary tier class Lightningcaster. Beads of sweat rolled down the thin man’s face, none of the party responding property to Chariot’s demands.
“Don’t be stupid.” Donny advised.
The man’s face twitched with jitters, fear and defiance in equal measure. A cage of lightning erupted around the enemy party with the man’s expression jolting into a heightened fierceness. Yellow lightning surged around his palms and he fired a chain of several bolts towards Kamala. The Lightning Chain would first kill their healer and then jump to the nearest target. It could work, he was sure of it, they could win a battle of attrition.
But the clusters of lightning stopped short on the mystic shield Kamala formed, holding strong until the last sparks fizzled out. The thin man’s face fell, but he had no time to fully despair before Ashley severed his head and the cage of lightning vanished. Two monarchs moved immediately, straight into the invisible mines planted by Dante as if he knew exactly what they would do. A one sided slaughter broke out. Even if the monarchs often had double the stats of the party, the depth and power of their skills paled in comparison, and they lasted mere moments.
Eleven blood fruit were recovered from their bags, a significant haul but Donny showed no sign of looking pleased. It was now the eighth day on the island, and the first day they had found no lairs.
Shin used his share of the gains to upgrade the last of his main priorities while they talked. He had already upgraded Rapid Regeneration to Instant Regeneration which was certainly true to its name. Greater Hawkeye had become Martial Eye, same as Hua clan bloodline, granted twentyfold speed and intuitive reading of the trajectory of all motion, living and inanimate alike.
Greater Blindsight had become Third Eye, which not only expanded the radius of perception to approximately 400 yards, but granted crystal clear and exact images of everything within, including seeing through obstacles like walls or into the contents of closed crates, although magic items like spatial bags remained elusive and even the most basic of illusions could fool it. Shin might not have had the Truesight that half of the party also now possessed to counter illusions but his Eyes of the Spirit King were sufficient.
Summoner had upgraded twice to Summon Master, improving the passive buff to his spirits threefold whenever he called them. In that vein, his epic elite spirits were now twice as strong as any epic tier elite lesser monarch monsters they encountered and if the pattern of stats held, they would rival legendary elite lesser monarchs.
[Spiritkeeper has upgraded to the mythic tier trait Vessel of Spirits.]
‘Hold up to 5 spirit bonds.’
Shin could now bond with three more spirits, Inari counting as a skill rather than a traditional bond. There seemed to be no spirits in the island, not even in his ethereal vision so such spots couldn’t be filled at this time. But even when he had an open spot before, Shin found none that fit his standards. He would not settle for any that felt half right or mostly right. They must feel exact.
[Human Invoker (legendary) - Greater Lord]
Strength - 200 (260)
Agility - 600 (780)
Constitution - 50 (65)
Vitality - 115 (149)
Dexterity - 33 (43)
Perception - 300 (390)
Force - 24 (31)
Spirit - 700 [1050] (1365)
Control - 150 [225] (292)
Willpower - 100 [150] (195)
Skills:
Heal lvl. 10, Greater Mystic Protection lvl. 10, Summon Sorcerous Kitsune Guardian lvl. 10, Supreme Martial Combat lvl. 5, Greater Rapid lvl. 10, Spirit Communion lvl. 1, Greater Mana Meditation lvl. 10, Invigoration lvl. 10, Harvest Soul lvl. 10, Greater Invoke lvl. 10, Quake lvl. 10, Channelling lvl. 10, Spirit Gyro lvl. 10, Greater Ward lvl. 10, Soul Fusion lvl. 10, Lambast lvl. 10, Greater See Through Spirits lvl. 10, Invoke Skill lvl. 6, Overshadow lvl. 10, Mana Absorption lvl. 3, Yin lvl. 5, Yang lvl. 5,
Traits:
Body Supremacy, Eyes of the Spirit King, Ethereal Soul, Vessel of Spirits, Unfettered, Instant Regeneration, Martial Eye, Third Eye, Summon Master, Great Control, Great Spirit, Great Willpower, Poison Resistance, Disease Resistance, Curse Resistance, Strong Body, Iron Mind, Strong Soul,
Most had at least almost finished their primary traits as well, with Karla being the large exception possessing the most of them all, though whether Ashley had more or less herself was unknown. Jean elected to give his fruit to others, being that he currently had nothing more to upgrade. After a short round of debate, it was decided they would best be served bolstering Kamala’s resistances, along with the Mind and Soul toughnesses she possessed.
Some like Jean and Basem had few traits to start with and had begun upgrading their resistances, the final mythic tier version being Immunity. It seemed Great Attributes could not be improved by the blood fruits, but in terms of what the party had gained, it was a small matter.
“Probably time to see what’s past the cliffs…” Donny glanced around.
“Trial’s basically telling us to go there.” Yen agreed. The first opening they found wasn’t the only one, though they were all identical.
“Steal more first.” Basem suggested, or more accurately argued.
“If the inner island is like here, then blood fruit is probably limited too. If we wait too long, someone else will take them. Besides…” Yen explained, her expression one of resting solid confidence. “Nothing can beat us now.”
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Not all shared her unbridled confidence but none among the party voiced any disagreement. They had all acquired at least a few mythic tier traits now and the difference could be felt as clearly as the ground beneath their feet.
“Well…” Blood from the dead players rose up in writhing tendrils into Donny, absorbed through his very skin. “Probably.”
---
Chariot stood before the wide chasm, shooting a few silent glances amongst themselves before heading in. They moved carefully and guarded with Jean at the front, vigilant for any danger they could imagine. But nothing happened despite all their preparations and in moments they entered what seemed like a new world.
A massive valley lay before them, filled with giant flora of ancient mystique, rolling mountain ranges in the distances and large rivers and lakes. Giant leather bird like creatures flew in the sky far in the distance and monstrous reptiles and mammals roamed the earth. A prehistoric land in all its wonder.
A jolt shot through Mujin’s face and he slashed his spear at his side with lightning reflexes. A huge mosquito the size of a palm fell to the ground in two parts, unidentifiable and lacking any presence at all. A swarm of dozens rushed from the same direction but a quick spray of fire reduced them to nothing.
“Even the bugs are worse…” Jean remarked, imagining the difficulties ahead.
“It’s fine. It’ll be legendary tier afflictions, we can deal with that.” Yen firmly stated, then looked over at Basem. “Could you see them?”
“...no.”
“Okay, there’s no way they have stealth that mythic can’t detect. Looks like you were right about them.”
“Hm.” Jean found no joy in that.
“Monsters.”
A pack of red scaled raptors rushed across the ground towards them at blistering speed, letting out piercing screeches. Basem fired a quick shot but his target darted to the side avoiding the arrow completely to his shock. All at once they burst towards the party, sharp fangs and claws shining in the sun.
Shin focused and a wave of vibration tore the ground as it spread over the pack, crashing them all away. Blood burst from the foremost ones as their scales fractured and their bones broke but most escaped with their lives. The raptors sprung to their feet, but a vortex swirled with intensity dead center of the tight formation they kept, the sheer pulling force slowing them to a crawl and then drawing them in. Fire erupted without warning, setting them all ablaze, the pack reduced to charred corpses in moments.
[Blood Raptor (epic) - Intermediate Monarch]
Strength - 1123
Agility - 1935
Constitution - 903
Vitality - 1351
Dexterity - 1410
Perception - 1675
Force - 620
Spirit - 738
Control - 716
Willpower - 639
Skills:
Maul, Chomp, Sprint, Hunting Call, Greater Dart,
Traits:
Greater Poison Resistance (legendary), Greater Disease Resistance (legendary), Greater Curse Resistance (legendary), Hawkeye (epic), Nightvision (epic),
A second pack rushed over from the brush in the distance, and then another, and another. Several packs numbering near a hundred total closed the distance all screeching horrible. Suddenly their heads snapped to the right and the raptor horde changed direction is pursuit of the fleeing party, bleeding profusely. The raptors disappeared in the distance and Dante undid the veil of Shawl around them that rendered all underneath invisible and hidden.
“Let’s find out how much worse it is.” The charlatan said with a composed eagerness.
---
Chariot pushed through the valley at a measured pace, observant and carefully. Weapons drawn at the ready for a fight at any time. Just out in front, Jean moved through the dense foliage, his dull eyes working more than anyone’s. The puppeteer darted back as a padded trap plant snapped up like a mouth. Ashley sliced through it at the base and Shin flickered behind, cutting away a vine lunging towards Donny. Basem snapped up and sniped a strange big eyed rodent watching from a tree and a stealthed saber toothed tiger pounced from the grass at Kamala, only for Karla to shatter its skull in a burst of speed.
The party moved on immediately, any and all blood liable to attract more monsters. It wasn’t just the monsters, all of which had been epic tier intermediate monarch thus far, but even the trees and plants around them that threatened their lives at every passing moment. And despite the half hour they had spent searching and surviving this valley of death, they had yet to come across their desired prize.
“This is a place of death. It is stupid to be here.” Basem urged, on edge the moment they had entered the valley.
“We need to be here. Just deal with it.” Yen shot down any sentiments of ending their search.
“Stupid wh-”
“What, can’t finish you sentences?”
“I said you are a greedy whore!” The reluctance Basem had before disappeared with the provocation.
“Oi, stop it, yeah?” Donny ordered calmly. “Focus on not dying.”
“We need to focus on finding fruit.” Yen argued back. “There’s nothing on the outskirts, we should try deeper in.”
“How does further in feel?” Donny asked the two danger sensors.
“Doesn’t really work like that.” Jean replied.
“Everything feels the same. It’s all dangerous.” Mujin elaborated.
“The open meadow between is risky…” Kamala glanced up at the flying monsters in the sky.
“Through the forest then.” Yen looked up ahead. Around the wide sprawling meadows were forests of immense trees, their height apparent even at their distance.
“That also feels like a tr-”
“Ward!”
Shin erected a greater ward around the party at Dante’s sudden warning. Jean and Mujin’s faces jolted as strange budded plants spewed a yellow murky gas at a speed most of them wouldn’t have been able to escape. The gas filled a wide area in moments, driving away or even killing lurking monsters, and showed no sign of dispersing.
Yen conjured another vortex off to the side, sucking in all the yellow gas while a spiraling green orb bored through the budded plants. Shin made an opening in the ward for them to pass through quickly before the gas spread again once Yen cancelled her spell.
“What do you have, future sight?” Yen stared back at Dante, who knew what was coming before even the two of them with Sixth Sense.
“Yes.”
“...seriously?”
“For a few seconds ahead in my immediate vicinity.” Dante elaborated less grandly than his initial word. The charlatan’s demeanor turned a bit more eerily solemn as he faced her. “Would you like me to predict your future?”
“No thanks.” Yen vehemently rejected his unsettling nonsense.
A quiet held for a few moments. “Our first trip will end badly.”
“I said fuck off!” Yen found herself more irritated at his casual, almost mocking tone than the actual words Dante spoke. Worse still, she couldn’t tell how much he was messing with her, or if he even was at all. “Listen up. Some of you don’t seem to understand that these trials determine who stands at the top as rulers of the new world and who ends up as disposable goons. Fix your fucking peasant attitudes.”
“Inspiring speech, Yen.”
“Shut up.”
“Mon-” A pulse of unnatural weakness rippled through Shin’s core, strange cold yellow eyes returning his gaze in the world of colors, eyes that did not belong.
Knives slid inbetween Dante’s fingers and he flung them curving into ten fanged rodents that leapt at the party from grass all at once. Mujin and Ashley darted left and right slicing and piercing the ones that remained.
A wooly rhinoceros charged from the front with a booming roar amidst the chaos. Basem nocked two arrows and fired, both bouncing off the aura cloaking the monster. That aura surged and the rhinoceros shot forth, slamming against Donny’s shield with enough force to knock the others back. Greater Fortress shattered in an instant but Donny didn’t budge.
Anchor kept him locked in place, preventing the charge from reaching the other. Blood splurt from his mouth and eyes as his body weathered the impact alone. But he held. A single punch from Karla to the side of the beast’s head shattered its skull to crumbling parts and the threat fell dead.
The party looked around in the quiet, ready to move at once, but something stopped them all in their tracks. Shin stood calmly when he had been, a vile black marking etched over his eyes. He shifted around in place a little, trying something, before tilting his head in composure.
“My eyes don’t work.”